Gauss still kept a smile on his face.
But in his heart, he couldn’t help but complain crazily.
He hated riddlers.
Moreover, he didn’t quite believe the other’s vague words.
Although he had indeed accumulated some reputation by frequently taking on tasks, it was all regional, and his fame had obviously not yet really spread.
Seeing that Gauss did not continue to ask questions, Layman naturally shifted the topic to the present: "Mr. Gauss, since you are active in this area, you must have noticed the abnormalities of these Jackal-Wolf People?"
"Yes."
Gauss nodded, his gaze once again directed to the ruins.
"I passed by a Jackal-Wolf People altar and destroyed them."
"These monster nests have no young ones, unlike a natural population."
"Very keen observation." Layman had a hint of approval in his eyes. "That’s why we are here."
"The Jackal-Wolf People here are different from the wild common Jackal-Wolf People; they’ve been influenced by an evil will from a lower plane and have started building altars. These altars are the stepping-stones for the Jackal-Wolf People King, Yenogu, to exert influence in the main plane. The Jackal-Wolf People King is attempting to infiltrate the world using the power of his minions."
"And the changes in this wasteland are just a part of the many pieces he’s placed."
"These Demon Lords who have tasted the flavors of the present world have never given up their coveting of this land."
"If convenient, could you tell us the location of the Jackal-Wolf People altar you’ve destroyed? We would also compensate you for it."
"No problem, no problem." Gauss didn’t expect this unexpected surprise.
"I wonder, what are your plans next, Gauss?" Layman casually inquired.
"I should first meet up with my companions and then continue heading to Flute Castle, I suppose?"
Gauss originally planned to stay here for a few days, but since a noble military force has specifically come to solve the "abnormalities" here, he’s not planning to stay much longer.
Firstly for safety considerations, and secondly, he has reached his target in terms of kills and temporarily doesn’t have a strong desire to kill.
After all, there are plenty of monsters in the wild. There’s no need to compete; if he wants to kill, he can just move to another area.
"Flute Castle is a good place, bustling and safe, enough for travelers to rest. After our team completes this task, we should also head to Flute Castle to rest."
Layman Mage raised his gray-white eyebrows, looking at the spread-out map on the table.
"It’s just... I wonder if you, Gauss, have any interest in taking a look at a place on the way before setting off to Flute Castle?"
Gauss did not immediately answer but just looked at the map.
Layman’s bony finger was pointing to a position on the edge of the wasteland, southwest of Flute Castle, where a vague circle was drawn.
"Raven Pass," Layman said slowly.
"A natural canyon passage. Our scout from the marching route last transmitted news three days ago, confirming that there is a concentration of abnormal evil aura there."
"According to our analysis, there seems to be a large-scale Yenogu altar activity there. Originally, according to the plan, we should have split the troops to handle it after cleansing the main camp in this area."
He paused, looking up at Gauss.
"But as you can see, this wasteland is more ’fertile’ than imagined; the seeds sown by Yenogu are more than the intelligence showed. Our manpower is firmly pinned here, and the core rituals of purification and sealing require a lot of time, making it impossible to split our forces in the short term."
Gauss understood his subtext.
"Layman Mage, you hope I go to scout, or rather... clean up there?"
"Yes."
"We are willing to purchase intelligence about the altar position you clear for 10 Gold Coins."
"And out of trust in you, Gauss, we are willing to prepay a deposit of 100 Gold Coins for this task."
"If you successfully clean up the target and bring back sufficient evidence of results, you can redeem the reward at the Golden Eagle Family’s office in Flute Castle, whether to claim the remaining 400 Gold Coins or choose other rewards."
"The Golden Eagle Family’s reputation is the best guarantee."
"What do you say? If you are interested, we can sign a contract."
Layman showed a slight smile, obviously confident in the influence of the Golden Eagle Family he mentioned.
Gauss fell into thought.
Is this family actually very famous?
Layman’s commission is also easy to understand, which is to pay 500 Gold Coins for Gauss to head to Raven Pass to clear the monsters there, even willing to prepay a 100 Gold Coin deposit.
It sounds quite sincere indeed.
"I might need to discuss it with my teammates first."
After thinking for a moment, Gauss spoke up.
In fact, he was already somewhat tempted.
This task is on the route anyway, and secondly, even if the task encounters difficulties, he can adapt to the situation upon reaching Raven Pass.
After leaving the large tent, Gauss greeted Layman as he came out to bid farewell, then ascended into the air. Soon, he disappeared from Layman’s sight.
"So energetic, youth is great..."
In his view, the speed at which Gauss performed the "Flying Skill" was just a bit too fast.
Not even much slower than the winged talents in the family.
...
When Gauss retraced his steps, Aaliyah and the others were also heading in his direction.
"Gauss is back!"
Although Raven Aik had given advance notice, seeing him return safely, everyone still breathed a sigh of relief.
"That group of people didn’t do anything to you, right?"
Gauss shook his head.
"Golden Eagle Family, Eastrek Clan, have you heard of this noble family?"
In response to his inquiry, Albena, Ying, and Serdur shook their heads.
Only Aaliyah fell into thought.
"I think I’ve heard of it... Let me think."
She closed her eyes, trying hard to search her brain for information about this family.
After a while, Aaliyah opened her eyes under the curious gaze of everyone.
"I remember now."
"It’s a very special family."
"Eastrek, or rather Golden Eagle, is not like those traditional nobles who guard castles and domains."
She organized the information in her memory and slowly said.
"They’re more like a... noble military family specialized in handling dirty and troublesome matters."
"It’s said that the ancestors of Eastrek, initially won their noble title and warrant through extraordinary achievements and sacrifices during a demon invasion event that swept across several kingdoms. But their rewards were very special, not a fixed territory, but a kind of patrolling cleaning right.
The patrolling cleaning right is a special right and duty granted to a specific family or knighthood to hunt specific threats throughout the kingdom and even beyond its borders. The royal family allocates a fixed budget every year to maintain this family’s army operating outside."
"The Golden Eagle Family has offices in major cities, mainly to serve its own family’s ’cleanup’ troops, and thus they maintain quite good relationships with many nobles in various places."
As Aaliyah spoke, Gauss’s impression of this originally unfamiliar family gradually became clear.
No wonder they’ve heard of me, a family’s intelligence network like this must be very well-informed.
"How’s their reputation?"
"Golden Eagle Family members act decisively but honor contracts, are ruthless against monsters and cultists, yet are fair to ordinary people and law-abiding adventurers. Plus, their payments are usually very punctual, given their wealth and the royal family as backing."
The group discussed among themselves.
Finally, they decided to accept the task.
After all, Raven Pass is also on the way to Flute Castle, though it takes a bit of a detour, it’s not in the opposite direction.
Once decided, Gauss returned alone to Layman Mage’s camp to sign a contract, then rejoined his team.
"Next destination, heading to Raven Pass."
His gaze looked at Raven Aik hovering in the sky.
Maybe there, Aik could recruit a new batch of raven followers.
Currently, it only has those few ravens under its command.
And Raven Aik, growing up alongside Aaliyah, with its wings more robust, clearly has the capability to command more raven subordinates.